Joan Woodward (27 September 1916 – 1971) was a British professor in

industrial sociology Industrial sociology, until recently a crucial research area within the field of sociology of work, examines "the direction and implications of trends in technological change, globalization, labour markets, work organization, managerial practi ...

and

organizational studies Organization studies (also called organization science or organizational studies) is the academic field interested in a ''collective activity, and how it relates to organization, organizing, and management''. It is "the examination of how individua ...

Background

Woodward was educated at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, where she gained a first in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 1936, followed by an MA in

medieval philosophy Medieval philosophy is the philosophy that existed through the Middle Ages, the period roughly extending from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century until after the Renaissance in the 13th and 14th centuries. Medieval philosophy, ...

from

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

in 1938, and a Diploma in Social and Public Administration from Oxford in 1939. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

she worked as a manager, rising to be Senior Labour Manager at

ROF Bridgwater Royal Ordnance Factory (ROF) Bridgwater was a factory between the villages of Puriton and Woolavington in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, UK that produced high explosives for munitions. It was slightly above sea level, between the 5 an ...

. She undertook her early research at South East Essex College of Technology, before joining Imperial College in 1957 as a part-time lecturer in Industrial Sociology and was appointed to a Senior Lectureship in the Production Engineering Section in 1962.http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/business-school/research/joanwoodwardmemoriallectures The Joan Woodward Memorial Lectures, Imperial College Business School

Pursuits

Woodward was a leading academic and commentator in the field of

Organization Theory Organizational theory refers to the set of interrelated concepts that involve the sociological study of the structures and operations of formal social organizations. Organizational theory also attempts to explain how interrelated units of organiz ...

, particularly

Contingency Theory A contingency theory is an organizational theory that claims that there is no best way to organize a corporation, to lead a company, or to make decisions. Instead, the optimal course of action is contingent (dependent) upon the internal and ext ...

. Woodward was a pioneer for empirical research in organizational structures and author of analytical frameworks that establish the link between technology and production systems and their role in shaping effective organizational structures. She classified the technology into ''Unit based'' or (''Small scale''), ''Mass based'' or (''large scale'') and ''Continuous process'' organizations. All successful organizations in these categories, according to her, had a particular organizational structure. In 1964, she was invited to work part-time for the

Ministry of Labour The Ministry of Labour ('' UK''), or Labor ('' US''), also known as the Department of Labour, or Labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, training, a ...

. This was followed, in 1969, by an appointment as Professor of Industrial Sociology and Director of the Industrial Sociology Unit. In 1970, Prof. Woodward published a book ''Industrial Organization: Behaviour and Control''.https://www.amazon.com/dp/0198741227 Industrial Organization: Theory and Practice - Oxford University Press, USA; 2 edition (February 19, 1981); , This text described the complete work of her research group since 1962. Her work received international recognition, leading to an invitation to join a group of the top seven organization theorists that was called the Magnificent Seven. Such international acclaim was rare for a woman at this period.http://www.imperial.ac.uk/centenary/memories/DotGriffiths.shtml Professor Dot Griffiths shares her memories of Professor Joan Woodward, as part of the Imperial College Centenary Woodward died in 1971, aged 54, after treatment for

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

Works

* ''The Dockworker: an analysis of conditions of employment in the port of Manchester.''. Liverpool: University of Liverpool Press, 1954 * ''The Saleswoman: a study of attitudes and behaviour in retail distribution''. London: Isaac Pitman & Sons, 1960 * ''Industrial Organization: Theory and Practice''. London, New York: Oxford University Press, 1965. * (with Allan Flanders and Ruth Pomeranz) ''Experiment in industrial democracy: a study of the John Lewis Partnership''. London: Faber, 1968. * (ed.) ''Industrial Organization: Behaviour and Control''. London: Oxford University Press, 1970.

Legacy

As the second woman to receive a chair at Imperial College, Woodward is a role model for women in science, engineering and technology. The bi-annual Joan Woodward Memorial Lecture takes place at

Imperial College Business School Imperial College Business School is the graduate business school of Imperial College London in the UK. In 2004, the business school was opened by Queen Elizabeth II. History In 1851, the Great Exhibition was the first World's Fair, organized by ...

. The Joan Woodward Prize is bestowed annually on an undergraduate or post-graduate undertaking a thesis in a topic that matches the research interests of Joan Woodward. Both the lecture series and student prizes are supported by an endowment fund that has been established in her name. In 2010 Woodward was the subject of a collection of essays in her honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodward, Joan 1916 births 1971 deaths British business theorists British sociologists Alumni of the University of Oxford Deaths from breast cancer Alumni of St Mary's College, Durham